compresses file on exit Config Variable

In this situation the configuration variable you'd use is MS_USERPREFSEED for new users.

The process to create a UPF is outlined in the following:

http://communities.bentley.com/products/microstation/w/microstation__wiki/17493.create-a-seed-user-preference-file-spf-that-does-not-contain-file-history

Once created you can set MS_USERPREFSEED to point to the desired seed preference file.

For existing users they will have to turn that option on manually..

Hi Grant,

If you access files over network then setting this option “Compress file on exit” can be avoided.
If the file gets corrupted due to network or various other reasons, then there is very little chances of recovering the file, if its compressed.

Regards,
Leonard Jones.

Hi Grant,

I asked this same question a couple of years ago.
Many users never compress the files and, after a while, then can become 2x, 3x, or more larger than they should be.
Having a configuration valriable that is used to "compress file on exit" would be perfect.
It could be set globally... and would significantly reduce the disk space required for project file storage.

There should be a config variable for this.

Michael

We have a similar issue Michael we run off 2 servers which mirror each other every night so that in case of catastrophic failure or a natural disaster/fire etc. we don't lose our assets, the servers are 200 miles apart. Every night the files which changed get copied from one to the other and those of us at the remote servers site location try to work directly off the main server at our main office. But when the files start getting big 20-50mb and you start attached a dozen of these as references it gets really slow. To make maters worse if a designer downloads a few models from vendors for motors, reducers and whatever else those downloaded and imported models can be 5 or 10mb each they will accidentally rotate/copy the items around and never compress the file themselves. As for corruptions we keep shadow copy running on both servers at different time intervals so we never lose more then an hour or two of work on file and that doesn't happen often.

For now we've sent out a memo to everybody asking them to turn it on but it would be nice if all the settings within the preferences menu could be controlled with a configuration variable. Most of our users won't mess with those settings and just complain that stuff is broken or never works right and I could easily force them to "work right" if i had the power to do so.

I never found the need for an environment variable for this as it can be handled with a macro or mdl app or ucm that runs upon opening or exiting a file. This approach allows for other things to happen such a returning to a constant view, levels configuaration, etc, etc. It can be whatever you want including compressing the file.